We’re finally seeing the $10M Carlos Pena.The K’s have been there all season without the home runs.But his last four hits have left the yard.Including a HR in all three games vs. White Sox.All of Carlos’ 14 HR have come since May 3.That ties him with Prince Fielder & Matt Kemp with the most HR in the NL over that span.

We knew the NL Central was an open race once Albert went down in St. Louis. The Cards are (2-8) in its last 10, dropping into second place behind Milwaukee, who’s lost seven of 10.

The Reds, two-games above .500, have climbed within two of the top spot. And Pittsburgh, mind you, is (6-4) over its last 10 games reaching the .500 mark this late in a season for the first time since 1999.

That leaves our Cubs fighting with Houston for the basement of the division. Chicago is (5-5) in its last 10 games holding a two-win advantage over the Astros.

How frustrating seeing the Cubs 10-games back with the division there for the taking. With 88 games to go there’s still a fighting chance for the Cubs to compete.

But the turn-a-round can’t wait any longer, not with the Cubs on the verge of purging players before the Trade Deadline.

2 responses to “Pena Power, Central Sour”

In early April after seeing these teams play for a couple weeks I predicted that 88 wins would be enough to win this division. I still think that’s true. Unfortunately the Cubs would have to go 58-30 from here on out to reach 88 wins. That’s a .659 win percentage. I’d love it, but that’s not gonna happen. What a disappointment this season has been.

It certainly has been disappointing. And you’re right, the Cubs won’t play .660 baseball in the season’s second half! Myself, I predicted the Cubs would improve eight games from last season, not enough to win the division of course, but a marked improvement nonetheless. Now they’ll be fortunate to avoid 90-losses! Having entered the season with what I believed was the best rotation in the division, the Cubs have simply underachieved on all fronts. Yes, injuries have played a crucial role, but it hasn’t stopped St. Louis or any other first place club for that matter. July, however, should be an interesting month. The Cubs have some leverage with players who will be coveted at the trade deadline. They also have some long shots the likes of Zambrano & Soriano. But how this club looks on August 1st should go a long ways towards determining Jim Hendry’s future with Chicago. I can’t imagine suffering through another season like this one. And next year, I’ll be more careful with my predictions:)